The Australian College of Optometry’s (ACO) has announced that its first Gender-Inclusive Eye Care Symposium will take place on Sunday, 15 June 2025, coinciding with Pride Month.
The ACO said that the interactive one-day event would equip eyecare professionals with the clinical and cultural tools needed to better support LGBTQIA+ patients.
Open to optometrists, dispensers, practice managers, and others working within eyecare, the symposium will spotlight the intersection of gender, sexuality and eye health. Attendees will engage with a diverse panel of speakers, including a general practitioner, nurse practitioner, and respected leaders in optometry and ophthalmology, as they share vital insights into culturally safe, patient-centred care.
It said the need for inclusive eyecare was significant.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 4.5% of Australians aged 16 years and over identify as LGBTQIA+, with that number rising to 9.5% among 16–24 year olds and 7.5% for 25–34 year olds.
Yet many individuals in these communities still face barriers to accessing culturally competent health care, ACO believes.
Organisers of the course are encouraging the optometry community to turn intention into action and equip themselves to make positive changes in their practice.
“Understanding how to communicate respectfully and provide affirming care isn’t just good practice, it’s essential care,” shared an ACO team member.
In this half-day course, participants will explore:
- The foundations of respectful, inclusive care for trans and gender diverse patients.
- Small changes in clinic culture and communication to improve inclusivity.
- Advocacy strategies and how optometrists can support LGBTQIA+ patients and colleagues.
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension as an atypical presentation in gender-diverse community.
- A review of current research, highlighting emerging findings in LGBTQIA+ eye health.
- An introduction to gender affirming speech therapy.
The course will include six presentations, followed by an interactive forum session led by Ms Alice McLennan, ACO manager clinical governance and training, and chair of the ACO’s rainbow working group. Here, participants will gain confidence in asking sensitive personal questions and applying inclusive language in real-world scenarios.
To learn more, please visit https://profession.aco.org.au/gender-inclusive-eye-care-symposium.
